Lee Jae-myung: "Is a photo taken while grocery shopping evidence of gang involvement?... It just makes me laugh"

Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party's presidential candidate, shared a photo on his Facebook on the 30th, taken when he was visiting a market with his wife Kim Hye-kyung and exploring a newly opened store.
[Photo by Facebook capture]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, refuted the 'gangster involvement allegations' surrounding him, saying, "The People Power Party and some conservative media are exaggerating baseless claims to forcibly create gangster involvement allegations."

On the 30th, Lee said on his Facebook, "They say the scenes of me dining out and shopping, refusing to listen to the nickname 'Samsik,' are the basis for the gangster involvement allegations." He added, "These days, it is hard to suppress the bitter laughter that my aides so strongly advise against."

Lee explained that four years ago, after appearing on a variety show, he earned the nickname 'Samsik,' meaning someone who eats three meals a day at home. At that time, to shed this nickname, he said he dined out with his wife in front of their house after work and then visited the market to check out newly opened stores.

He added, "The photo of visiting a gangster-operated store was taken while we were exploring the area," attaching photos of himself and his wife Kim Hye-kyung visiting the market surroundings.

Lee also questioned, "The People Power Party claims I have a secret account that received a 2 billion won bribe, so they should at least provide the account number. What do the market visit photos mean, and what about the customary congratulatory photos?"

He continued, "Moreover, the People Power Party is making false gangster involvement claims, saying that a photo of a stone ring check taken by a drug fraudster is a bribe given to me, and conservative media are blindly following and producing fake news."

He added, "On the other hand, I also feel sorry for this kind of 'People Power Party political sabotage.'"

Finally, Lee emphasized, "I will carefully fix everything step by step," and "I will trust only the wise people and move forward steadily."

Meanwhile, Park Cheol-min, a former member of the Seongnam International Mafia faction, claimed in the past that Lee received a 2 billion won bribe. On the 26th, Park, through his legal representative lawyer Jang Young-ha, additionally released photos of bundles of cash allegedly delivered to Lee in the past.

This differs from the bundle of cash photos revealed by Kim Yong-pan, a People Power Party lawmaker, at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government audit by the Administrative Safety Committee on the 18th. Park is currently detained at Suwon Detention Center.

Lawyer Jang was accused by the Democratic Party on the 22nd of violating the Public Official Election Act and other charges.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.